What We Have Learnt From F1 2022 Season
The opening round of the 2022 season was a thrilling one. After one of the most dramatic finishes to any season in memory, the build-up to this year’s first race in Bahrain was one of anticipation for the fans, but nervous excitement for teams due to the new regulations for the 2022 season.
With an overhaul of the regulations, not only do the cars look different, but also the potential running order for this year. Yes, it’s early stages and we all shouldn’t get carried away, but there are plenty of storylines to keep an eye on this season!
Ferrari are back!
Yep, you read that right! The Italian team had the perfect start, and will be hoping that’s just a glimpse of what is to come this year. Charles Leclerc secured pole on Saturday, with his teammate Carlos Sainz starting third as last year’s champion, Max Verstappen, started second in the middle of the Ferrari sandwich. Going into Sunday, many thought that the Red Bull would have superior race-pace. However, despite an epic battle between lap 17 and lap 19, the Monégasque was never really troubled as he secured Ferrari’s first win in 45 races, with his teammate finishing second to round off a memorable 1-2 finish for the Prancing Horse.
Reliability issues for Red Bull?
With Verstappen running in second for most of the race, and Sergio Perez attempting to chase down Sainz’s Ferrari from fourth on the grid, the Red Bulls were having what looked like a decent start to the year. However, within the space of just a few laps, their race turned from one of positivity to disaster. Verstappen started complaining of issues with the car in the latter stages of the race, and after his engineers tried to find the problem, Max had to drive into the pit-lane to retire with three laps left. Then, on the last lap at turn one, Perez lost the engine, and power to the car. With junior team Alpha Tauri also having to retire Pierre Gasly’s car after it caught fire, Red Bull have work to do regarding their reliability with a season that is 22 rounds long!
Mercedes have work to do
The best team since the turbo-hybrid era began in Formula 1 in 2014, Mercedes have a lot of work to do if they wish to compete for the constructors and drivers’ championships this year. While Red Bull, the two main F1 rivals over previous years, have reliability to look into, that can be solved. For Mercedes, their issues could be even bigger due to issues with downforce, race pace, and ‘porposing’.
This was reflected in the fact that before the Gasly safety car, Lewis Hamilton was 35 seconds off Leclerc and George Russell 50 seconds. Russell himself has said that the team don’t know how soon they can fix their issues, it could be within weeks or may be months, but one thing seems clear – Mercedes are facing their toughest season in a long time.
The midfield battle could be one of the most unpredictable in years
With Ferrari jumping to title contenders, and McLaren’s challenging start to the season with issues that seem like a long-term issue rather than a quick fix, the battle in the midfield could be fascinating this year. For teams, the difference between positions in the constructor’s title determines their prize money which is crucial to competing in F1. It’s likely that Alpha Tauri and Alpine will be the front-runners in the midfield race, however, as we’ve seen and you’ll read below, Alfa Romeo and Haas could both be the surprise packages of the season. So, while the order of teams and drivers may take a while to settle after the next couple of rounds at the opening part of the season, expect the unexpected when it comes to the battle for key points in the top 10 on race day. Already Haas and Alfa have shown that there may be more competitors fighting for points than in previous years – who doesn’t love a bit of variety?!
Haas and Alfa in the points
Who thought that both Haas and Alfa Romeo would record points in the opening race of the season? Probably not many! Both teams showed ok pace over practice and qualifying as Valtteri Bottas started in sixth with Kevin Magnussen one spot behind him. Bottas had a tough start in the Alfa, dropping down the order and out of the points but bounced back to finish where he started. Alongside debutant Zhou Guanyu, the Italian team secured their first double-points haul since 2020. For Guanyu, he became the 66th driver to score a point on debut in F1 and had an impressive drive in his first race in the category. For Haas, Magnussen’s fifth placed finish was the team’s highest finish since the Austrian Grand Prix in 2018. Unfortunately, teammate Mick Schumacher missed out on securing his first Formula 1 point, but recorded his career best result after being spun early in the race. Haas look like they could be contending for points again this season, and the time spent investing in the 2022 car may pay off. It’s time to jump on the Steiner Ship!
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